Struggling

[60sgirl]

Hi all - I haven’t posted here for a while. I graduated c25k in September 2018, and then lapsed a bit over the winter (I did bits and pieces of different exercise, but was not very consistent). But now I have signed up for the London Vitality 10K at the end of May. I am training regularly and building up running time every week, (currently abou 6.5k over 45 minutes) but I feel I am at my absolute limit; every run is a struggle to complete and I feel completely exhausted at the end. Will this get better, or am I just not 10K material? Are there any tips or techniques to push through what seems like an insurmountable barrier right now? I have raised about £150 in sponsorship, so I am really worried about letting everybody down by not being able to do the run in 6 weeks time. Any advice gratefully received!

[Decker]

I would say maybe to ease your pace a little. Maybe shoot for 7k/min and see how far you get. That should get you more distance. The pace should come back over time as you get more used to the distance. You’ve got this! Don’t despair, it seems impossible but its really not if you adjust your speed and immediate expectations.

[O505k Graduate10]

I'm sure this will get better as you get fitter/stronger again. Are you trying to run the same distance for each run. We I did this after completing C25K I found it a bit boring/ a chore. Then I discovered Ju-ju's Magic 10K plan, lots of people on here follow it and have successfully got to 10K. I found it really great to be following a plan again and it gave me permission to run 2 'shorter' runs and then extend the distance on 1 longer run.

You'll find details of the plan on the Pinned posts, it is currently on week 2 (the long run is 6K). You can join the plan at any time. I also found it great to be running with a virtual group and check in each week on progress, challenges etc.

Check it out, hope it works for you.

[60sgirl in reply to O505k]

Thanks for the advice and encouragement. I am doing a c210k app- not as good as c25k, but better than nothing, as I find I need somebody in my ear telling me what to do when! It increases by a couple of minutes each week, 3 x runs with a 1minute walk in between. So I am about to embark on 3 x17 mins this week i.e 51 minutes plus 2 minutes walking. Doesn’t seem possible right now but I will give it a go! Thanks again.

[GoGo_JoJo Graduate10]

Don't set yourself a time target. You need to increase your stamina to see it through, not acheive a stellar time straight off. Find a pace where by the end you don't feel completely done in. Ideally you want to feel you could have done another 10 mins.

When you have acheived the 10k at any pace you'll have more belief you can really do this, then on the day the excitement will push you a tad faster and you'll get a better time.

You can do it, no question 👍😉

[damienair Administrator]

My training to 10K was done by doing 2 x 5K runs per week and extend one other run each week. The 3rd run was a long run. So 6K, then a week later 7K and then I just stayed at 7K, but made this a training run distance twice a week with Parkrun on Saturday. So 2 x 7K runs during the week with a 5K Parkrun.

Yesterday I decided to do 10K. In my mind I was focused to do 10K and I did it.

So you have loads of time. Concentrate on getting to 8K and on the day of the 10K run you will have no problem doing an extra 2K.

Damien

[60sgirl]

Thank you very much - this is sound advice.

[Teacherm Graduate10]

It sounds as if you’re working really hard. I’m sure you will get to 10k in time.

If you have the flexibility, you could try running at different times of day. Early morning runs (except for parkrun) are more of a struggle for me and some of my best runs are after a long day at work when I should be too tired! Weird but true. A banana before a run can be good for energy too.

Also I’ve found listening to podcasts and audiobooks really helps with longer runs - if it’s a good one, the time whizzes by!

Good luck and keep going. You can do it! X

[Oldfloss Administrator Graduate10]

As Decker says.. pull back, relax and enjoy. Slow and steady.. it works

No need for speed.. just trickle along happily.. 10K is a great distance...

Put in some strength and stamina work, on rest days and you have got this